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Histamine restricts cancer: nothing to sneeze at

Nature Medicine volume 17, pages 43–44 (2011)Cite this article

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Histamine produced by immature myeloid cells restricts the expression of inflammatory mediators and regulates leukocyte recruitment to sites of tissue stress. Unexpectedly, cancer susceptibility is increased in mice lacking histamine, thus revealing a previously unknown mechanism whereby immature myeloid cells contribute to cancer development (pages 87–95).

Tumors do not develop in spite of their 'host' but rather with the combined support of normal cells that comprise the tumor stroma, including fibroblasts and other niche-defining cells, vascular cells and various leukocyte populations. These cells participate in a maladaptive immune response to developing neoplasms— which have been described as 'wounds that do not heal'1—that is crucial for all stages of solid tumor development. Infiltration of tumors by subtypes of myeloid cells, including macrophages, mast cells and neutrophils, can promote tumorigenesis through the collective ability of these cells to initiate tissue remodeling, activate angiogenic programs, regulate invasive pathways and suppress antitumor immune responses2.

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Figure 1: Proposed role for histidine decarboxylase production by immature myeloid cells in inflammation-associated carcinogenesis.

Nesrine Affara and Katie Vicari

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brian Ruffell and Lisa M. Coussens are in the Department of Pathology and Lisa M. Coussens is at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.,

    Brian Ruffell & Lisa M Coussens

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  1. Brian Ruffell
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  2. Lisa M Coussens
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Correspondence to Lisa M Coussens.

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Ruffell, B., Coussens, L. Histamine restricts cancer: nothing to sneeze at. Nat Med 17, 43–44 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0111-43

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